


Crosswise

by Omicron_The_IceQueen



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-22
Updated: 2015-11-21
Packaged: 2017-12-12 15:56:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/813352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omicron_The_IceQueen/pseuds/Omicron_The_IceQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Living shadows are dark, quick to sap the heat and live out of unprotected victims... but it is relatively orderly. When Shadows meet Chaos energy...both are a bit grumpy and drag in those linked to one or the other into this strange other world. The humans and non-humans alike need for form an alliance to find gems of power to get home. Oh, and watch out for the hungover dragons!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continual trade story with AmethystClaw on DA (not sure if she has an acount here), and fun to write to boot XD I know the monster isn't exactly the same as in the show or manga, but I wanted a difference between card and 'reality.'

Awareness came slowly, he drifted in and out of conscious for a few minutes. Or it could have been a few years, he really didn't have a grasp on that part of his brain that had the mental watch. So it took a while before he realized that maybe he should wake up. At the very least start clawing at the pieces of his mind and trying to fit them back together the right way.

As bad as it may sound, he was actually used to being knocked unconscious at this point in his life. Either from good old fashion fistfights or the magical crap from the shiny one of his best friends had. Not to mention the others.

When he was able to sort out he was not in one of the normally positions after being knocked unconscious. Not in a locker room, or nurses' office, or hospital, or his bed (or a bed at one of his friends' houses)...the ground...

Jounouichi 'Joey' Wheeler, was made aware of a splitting headache first of all. Meaning his forced nap was from the magical crap not a fish, or a fist to the head.

Don't ask about the fish, really, don't.

Back to waking up where he wasn't used to. Given it was something magic based, and he wasn't being dragged- something again was sad to admit that he was used to- that left being carried. Only, who could carry _him?_ Joey new he wasn't the biggest but he wasn't as small as his friend Yugi. He was still being carried, and from the pressure on his front, the tender softer stomach and it felt like the lower edge of his rib cage was caught on an edge or ridge of... metal? The parts that were in contact to his either savor or kidnapper were warm, but the rest of his frame was starting to shiver, making a large something (a hand?) tighten around his legs.

What the hell?

Joey cracked open one eye, seeing only hazy, colored shapes around him. The dark smudge directly below him and the wall of red and orange he was apparently on, was moving away from him. A tread mill? Why was he draped passed out on a tread mill? …did the gym or an equipment store or something like that try and eat him?

Naw, that wasn't really his brand of luck.

The young man squinted both eyes open, trying to clear them he reached up to rub the back of his wrist against one. His right hand came up short, tugged on by something black that was wrapping and twisting around his wrist and hand. "The hell?" Joey blurted aloud, struggling more actively as what heat he had been getting from the 'wall' was suddenly drained away as the darkness attached to him. It left him shivering and almost hypothermic within the minute.

Within the time that it took the wall to realize what was happening and shift it's grip on Joey's legs, holding uncomfortably tight to his knees to keep the young man in place as it twisted around. A blade flashed out in the dim light, swinging up and backwards to slice through the living shadow. There was a soft hiss as the shadows retreated from their target, the remnants hanging front the bond's wrist dissolving into mist then fading away.

"The hell man!" Joey struggled weakly but still struggled. Though far from young he was still young enough not to realize that wiggling was undignified. Then again if he did know, Joey was the type to fling that kind of dignity out the metaphorical window. The problem was that the living wall he was riding on wasn't expecting a wiggly teenager. Nor apparently how to hold onto one, for the next thing the young man knew he was meeting the ground as gravity reintroduced itself to Joey by way of the face.

Some things just needed to be said despite being too obvious or not, it just needed to be said.

"... _ow_ man, ow." Joey gasped as he rolled over from being half sprawled on his front, to laying on his back. Mostly so his rump wasn't aimed up at the sky where it could be vulnerable to any magics flying around. He'd learned his lesson about staying either upright or flat on the ground thank you.

The young man rubbed one hand on his shirt before scrubbing at his face for a moment before he froze. Startled as his whole forearm was engulfed by a _very large_ hand. Joey stared at the callused hand, and felt his stomach drop down for a visit and a chat with his batter after looking beyond the hand.

Somewhere in his brain, something went _fizzt!_

Mostly because Joey was starting at a set of dark eyes that were much older, and though human like, where not human at all. Those eyes regarding him like he was just so much raw meat as the massive frame of the other being lifted the arm it held captured in it's grip. It made Joey give a Yugi-style squeak as he was manipulated to sit up.

Standing, the living wall would be a good eight, maybe eight and a half feet tall. Broad in the shoulders, and thus the chest, the living wall was human…ish in his physical form, and clearly male in build. That build was also covered with rock-solid muscles, massive in a way but not in a ridiculous budging the being still put Joey's forming muscles to complete shame.

Dark eyes, that had irises the same black as his pupils, were old and had fathomless years of battle experience.

What parts of his frame wasn't clad in thick, rusty red colored armor there was black fabric of pants and shirt, and a silver horned helmet. The being had just as thick boots on that protected large feet from not just the hazards of the ground but able to keep traction while fighting. That long broad sword was just as impressive on its owner, resting on the ground just to Joey's left. It was a strange red-ish orange metal, colored _metal_ not painted as evidence by the nicks and warn groves. Not to say the sword wasn't sharp, Joey could also see that with his bugged out eyes locked onto the sword as it rose up over him.

 _I'm toasty._ The teen thought in numb horror at the same time the being's form fitted into place onto his mind. _Oh gods, Ra, that's the flame swordsman. One of my monsters is going to turn me in to_ sliced _toast!_


	2. Chapter 2

The mingling emotions of awe and fear showed clearly on Joey’s face as he watched the blade over his head, then confusion leaked in as the bade rose higher above him before swinging around to stop behind the Monster. It clicked into place on hooks in the Monster’s back plate.

 

The warrior shifted from his kneeling position, lifting his left hand up, pulling Joey up with the motion by his arm. The other massive paw like hand came back down to wrap around the slender youthful ribcage. This time the awake teenager didn’t wiggle-struggle as he was picked back up and cradled into those powerful arms as the being made a strange inhuman almost animalistic sound came from the Monster. Joey was still reeling from seeing the not quiet man from the Shadow Realm again… again…

 

Fact fit into fact, and a spare fact flittered into his mind as well to join the other two.

 

Joey will admit, but only quietly and to himself or to Yugi, that he wasn’t really the fastest bird in the flock. Every now and then he can figure out a problem (mostly mechanical ones) first. Though as his other best friend that loved to point out, most of the time it took time for Joey to figure stuff out. A little more so when all this magical crap going on in his life right now.

 

The darkness around him, the chill in the air and heat sucking, living shadow that attacked him and left Joey feeling weak. Not the level of weakness like one felt after working too hard in P.E. or out running a person of authority after doing a Stupid Teenage Moment. No, this what Joey was feeling like as he stared at the chest plate of the swordsman that was walking again; what he was feeling was the shivering, bone aching and stomach emptying weakness that comes from being right in the middle of the flu. Right now the only warmth came from the Monster’s large frame, almost radiating heat like a living fire.

 

The meaning of _Flame_ Swordsman would never be the same.

 

But that fact from before remained, Joey was in the Shadow Real as far as he could tell. He couldn’t remember _how_ he got here, so that was worrying, and the teen was pretty sure his whole body, not just his sol alone was in this other world.

 

A rumble vibrated around the young man as the swordsman shifted the youth, “Do not fear my little master, you are protected for now.” The Monster gave Joey a light squeeze around his knees.

 

The voice was far deeper than any adult man that Joey knew, and given how tall the Monster was it wasn’t that much of a surprise. The swordsman had an accent Joey didn’t know, not his fathers, or mothers, not American or Japanese. Nor was it exactly like Yugi’s other half, not Egyptian, er, ancient Egyptian. Through Joey had learned some interesting words and phrases from Yami, he hadn’t quiet fully picked up a fourth language; the third he spoke was Spanish, as fluent as his other two ‘native’ ones (both his sister and he learned it on their own to keep conversations away from their parents either in person or on the phone).

 

“You’re… the flame swordsman.” Joey said creatively, a strange mix of Japanese and Egyptian words. “…hi.”

 

The Monster chuckled against him, “Hello at last my young Master.” He almost purred down at Joey as he shifted the boy.

 

“…master?” Joey puzzled over that, making his unseen guardian angel slap a hand to its face before slapping the boy. His fingers twitched to his Deck, hidden in an inside jacket pocket, “Wait…”

 

“Yes, I am the same one that you were bonded to that night,” The Monster said, giving another squeeze to the teen’s legs. If he noticed the stiffness in his passenger as the swordsman walked, he didn’t comment. He had a destination and mission in mind and nothing short of a blue eyed, white scaled creature on silver wings would divert him… even then it would be a hard job since the whispers from the shadows hinted that every draconic form was currently suffering from, what the modern and old worlds alike knew all too well; hang overs.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

The completely unexpected question had the Monster almost stopping his long stride to stare down at the once more nervous teen. The human master, young and so new to casting that he keeled over in a faint after experimenting... was kind enough to want to know his Monster’s name?

 

“…Tonga.” The sword master said slowly.

 

“Hi Tonga, I’m Joey.” The teen said, waving awkwardly with the free hand that wasn’t pinned against the armor clad chest against his right. Since the Monster had proved to be, if not entirely ‘friendly’ than at least and ally (and Joey didn’t want to think about that link he had to his Flame Swordsman card and when that), “Can, um, where the hell are we going?”

 

It was almost a full minute later when the deep voice said, “To the only one that can keep the shadows from you.”

 

“Yami?” Joey blinked, as strong as he know his friend was become in his personal magics, the dark spirit that Yugi hosted was just stronger in the control of the Shadow Realm. Not to mention he had a _lot_ of years of experience.

 

“No, not the desert king.” Tonga shook his head, then smirked as he spotted something. “The Pharaoh’s talents lay in the shadow’s themselves. You though my little Master, you need your fire re-sparked after what the Shadows where dong. Drawing out.” Before the teen could comment or question him, the Monster stopped and almost swung the human down to the ground.

 

Large hands gripping Joey’s shoulders not only kept him upright as he staggered, but also kept joey from falling over as he instinctively reacted to seeing a predator that out classed him.

 

A wave of heat washed over both human and Monster, paused long enough for the truly massive frame to inhale before exhaling in time with another wave of heat.

 

“Holy Ra shit.” Joey blurted out, the filters between his brain and mouth failing once more.

 

Even the shadows in this night time world paused subtle movements, everything staring at the teen, baffled at the very odd curse. The dragon turned its red eyes to meet Tonga’s gaze as if wondering what the sword master had brought.


	3. Chapter 3

The massive frame yawned, head turned away from the two humanoid frames as the arm sized flags were he slowly, carefully shook his head before freezing. The dragon winced at the throb in its head the movement made before turning red eyes back to the two humanoid beings that came into his shared, temporary nest.

He recognized Tonga, as both an opponent but more often than not as an ally in battle. The swords man was fire elemental, possibly dragon kin by blood, and as close to a friend as the black scaled dragon could have outside of his reptilian like kind. The creature started to beat his wings but the throb that came from the base of the joints and along his spine when he opened the wings convinced the dragon to change his mind and let his wings go limp. The dragon settled down again around the smaller frame that had taken up residence between black limbs.

Unlike the smaller one, the red eyed black dragon was fully mature. Scales as hard as diamonds where also as black as a starless night sky, the edges of each one reflecting what light to refract red to dark orange shades in an almost hypnotic way to the smaller of the two new comers.

Joey was transfixed by the massive creature as it lowered its head, longer than he was tall and angular. Spines rose up along its neck, back and down the tail. Heavily muscled under the scales in a way to put every living thing Joey had ever seen in his life to shame, even Tonga. The two things that stood out brightly against that dark hide; the bio luminescent red eyes that looked right back into his, the other thing was that stood out to the teen were the seemingly oddly colored ivory-silver talons the dragon had.

This was the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Alive, larger than life and radiating heat like a planet's core. _His_ favorite dragon was looking right back at the teen in a fixated predator's gaze. Very slowing the glowing eyes shifted ever so slightly to look over Joey's head. Despite the haze in his mind from shock, fear and that numbing drain from the Shadow Realm, Joey was just able to pick up on an unspoken question from the dragon.

_*What is this?*_

"A mortal caster." The sword master rumbled out, his voice taking a deeper tone, somewhat more animalistic, with an aggressive twist to it. A _Monster's_ voice. "He is dragon's kin. _Your_ kin." Tonga added when the red eyes started to close in disinterest at the mentioned of a mortal.

At once they were wide open again, the inner orange pupil narrowing, demanding explanation.

"...what?" Joey finally looked up, tilting his head back at a slight angle so his blond bangs wouldn't be in his own, still bugged out, eyes as he stared up at the not quite man who was keeping a firm, nearly painful grip on his shoulders. Keeping Joey in place and not letting the human have even the slightest chance to run when the massive black head inched closer to sniff at his chest. The teen made a strangled sound, leaning back as the dragon really seemed to inspect him now.

"His magic was crippled by what has affected the dragons," Tonga said in a softer voice, respectful but there was something else.

 _*You have affection for a mortal human?*_ The dragon was puzzled, turning his head to focuse a ruby eye on the shivering creature of soft flesh. Focusing slowly to see what or how Joey was dragon kin, let alone the red eyes' own.

"He is our little Master." Tonga said, as much supporting the human as holding him now, feeling the shaking in the small frame not just from fear of a dragon.

 _*Shadows are taking him.*_ The dragon realized lifting his head despite how it hurt to arch his neck.

"His inner fire was dampened." Tonga said, his hold shifting slowly to let Joey sand on his own, "Bare embers. Will you help our mortal master, you kin?" He wasn't looking down, couldn't look down at the human right then as another set of glowing eyes opened in the dark under the black dragon's wing and behind his foreleg's shoulder joint, the eyes glittering silver and pearl.

 _*If the shadows take, there is a chance he becomes one of us,*_ The red eyes tilted his head, * _Why should I stop dragon kin from becoming true dragon?*_

"What?" Joey said, looking down at last from the massive body, and caught sight of something that made his heart sink and fear gripping him around his ribcage. Where the living Shadow had grabbed onto the teen, there was a dark mark still wrapped around his wrist and forearm, yet it was becoming pattered. As a shaking hand touched the curving mark, Joey swallowed thickly as his fingers proved it wasn't just a pattern of paint or dirt or an illusion, but small, smooth ovals no bigger than his pinky nail were forming in the skin.

Scales.

Dark grey and silver edged scales were forming on his arm.

_Why should I stop dragon kin from becoming true dragon?_

The words were echoing in his head in a dull state of shock as Joey remembered what Yugi- what Tami had mentioned before. Sometimes some monsters were taken from or made from people right? The teen blanched and gripped his arm even as the Monster behind him spoke up again.

"You know he would not survive long enough to change." Tonga growled, paused and added, "Red eyed black, please. Save our Master."

The mass of black scaled muscle shifted and pulled back his lips to show his fangs, mouth opening and fire flickered in his throat-

"Is it really our mortal?" A soft, feminine, though strangely hissing voice spoke up, not from the red eyes, but from under his arm. Joey had staggered back to the relative protection of the Swordsman, pausing as he saw what was shakily coming in the open. Shaking herself from the stress of whatever was effecting dragons and their kin, the creature was small compared to the black dragon, but the shoulder was at a good eight or ten feet in height.

Ignoring the spluttering protested of the bigger dragon, this smaller one, who's hide was copper and golden scales over, tilted her horned head. Though her horns were small and rounded, and didn't have as hard or as solid of muscles as the bigger dragon, it was still a dragon. Taking smaller, almost dainty steps to where the two humanoids where, the head lowering to Joey's level.

Without thinking, knowing suddenly that this pretty, but still deadly creature that was twice as big as any horse, was someone that he _knew_ all too well. She looked nothing like the duel monster's card, the silver glowing eyes and opal like centers that slitted as Joey reached out and then widened as he touched the warm head with almost frozen fingers.

The dragonet crooned, pressing her head to the teen's chest, feeling the sheer lack of heat in his frame. The sound reverberating in Joey's chest as something familiar, and even as he clutched the large but small dragon head, he could see a few of the tiny grey scales getting a little bigger. "...I don't want to change." Joey admitted to the golden head, and couldn't help the feeling of loss as she pulled away, only to be curled around.

Planting her forepaws firmly by the human, keeping herself form shaking by tightly holding her wings against her side and sitting with the tail curled around the human the dragonet faced the much bigger male of her kind. "You will help him. Help my human. Help your human." Her tail twitch. " _Now_."

It was spoken with her little golden head held high she demanded, _ordered_ and with all the confidence in this world, the next and many others. For this dragonet knew she would be a queen dragon when she was older, and if the Red Eyed Black still wanted to be her mate when she was of size then he had _better do as he was told._


End file.
